Van Hollen wants stay on Act 10 ruling

The state wants a judge to stay his decision that Governor Walker’s collective bargaining law is unconstitutional.

Dane County Judge Juan Colas on Friday struck down portions of the law, overturning restrictions on collective bargaining for some public employee unions. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen plans to ask the judge to stay that ruling while the appeals process plays out.

Van Hollen says they will do “everything in their power” to get the decision put on hold so the law will remain fully implemented as the issue works through the appeals process. He says it will be up to higher courts to ultimately rule on if the law is constitutional, not “just one judge.”

The Department of Justice plans to request the stay within the next few days. If one is not granted, Van Hollen says they will move on to the court of appeals quickly to prevent any confusion for local governments. The Madison teachers union is already calling for contract negotiations to be reopened and Van Hollen says there is a concern the decision could lead to practices of local units of government being changed for a very short period of time.

Currently, the Attorney General says the ruling only applies to public workers on the local level. Van Hollen says it will not result in any changes for state employees.